How many drinks did you have?
Sometimes you don't need to have had any, but when cars start moving slowly forward and you lose perseption of where the ground is, you can feel like your rolling backwards. Any balance or mind altering substance can heighten this feeling.

OK, so now that I got that out of the way....How long do you think you rolled back for?

There are also some roads that make contact to the car tires in a manner that I don't know exactly, but while you move forward it appears that you are rolling backwards....I think its similar to places like The Mystery Zone!

Otherwise, the car releasing gears in D is not something I would know about.

 

There are also some roads that make contact to the car tires in a manner that I don't know exactly, but while you move forward it appears that you are rolling backwards....I think its similar to places like The Mystery Zone!

Ha! Not a Mystery Zone. It's called a Magnetic Hill. I was on this one in Canada last summer, and the illusion is very real !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLgdZGbOclk

http://www.moncton.ca/visitors/city_attractions/magnetic_hill.htm

anic:anic:

 

Were you on an incline? My Honda Accord, Subaru Forester and Highlander all roll a bit on my inclined driveway. Scares the crap out me sometimes. It will roll frontwards or backwards depending on which way it's facing. I need to get on the gas quick after releasing the brake pedal.

 

If he was on a hill, the HL has something like an "Easy start off" or something that applies the needed force to not roll back. I dont remember how it work and such, but...I don't think its supposed to do that.

 

^this. Every auto I had before would roll back because there isn't enough idle torque to pull the car up the hill. You have to give them more gas.
HL does have a feature that should not let you roll back. It definitely works on mine and I like it. At first I didn't know what was going on, the car just kept moving forward uphill on its own, but then I remembered that it was in the manual.

 

Every automatic I've driven in the last 40+ years did that.

 

I think they call it Uphill Assist. When your car is on a steep enough slope and your brake to a stop it will hold it still there as you take your foot off the brake to go to the gas pedal. About 2 seconds it holds from the manual. It doesn't matter which way you are going, forward or reverse, it works. I have a steep enough section of my driveway so I get to sample this in action often. Sometimes I purposely stop on the steeper part just to see it work.

 

When the Uphill Assist is effective, you can feel the brake pedal resistance difference if you put the foot on the brake pedal instead of gas pedal. It is a similarly feel of slowing down by the adaptive cruise control.

 

I say its the Jager shots!

 

First Welcome to TN NewTYT :hi:

I assume this has never happened before? I might go test drive another and try to replicate it in another vehicle. My feeling is that it's normal though.

 

Sometimes it helps to engage the uphill assist by stomping down hard on the brake first before moving over to the gas pedal.

 

Thanks very much for all of the kind responses. It might be an illusion because it was a long day and I was very tired driving home. However, I will keep an eye on it and see if the same situation happens again.

 

It wasn't an illusion. As I said before, it happened to me three times during the same trip. I was definitely in Drive because when the Rav4 would slide backwards I would have to turn the car off, put it in Park, and use the brake. Then I would turn it back on and put it in Drive again and rev it so it wouldn't slide backwards.

 

Don't mix, and you'll be fine!
(btw, JK...I totally joke when I toss in mind altering stuff and driving. Not funny when someone does it. Funny when you don't!)

That has happened to me...When you hyper focus and then you see both sides of you with other cars move forward, and if you have no reference point to see that you are still...you get the illusion!

 

I had the exact same problem and have a witness. After sitting at a stop with the car in neutral for some minutes (at DEQ), I put the car in drive and let off the e-brake. The car went backwards - twice! I was not on a hill and am pretty sure I was in drive. I finally put the car in park, turned the car off, waited about 10 seconds, and turned the car on again - all good. But the lady manning the DEQ entrance was as freaked as me. What to do about it? We bought it just last week! We'll certainly be watching for this.

 

Forgot to say - 2011 Highlander Hybrid LTD

 

Wow, that sounds crazy dangerous. I think anyone expereincing this needs to report to Toyota America in writing.
Sounds like a software glitch or some software safety code not put in place.

 

Wow, that sounds crazy dangerous. I think anyone expereincing this needs to report to Toyota America in writing.
Sounds like a software glitch or some software safety code not put in place.

It isn't just the Highlander. It happened with my 2015 Toyota Rav4.

 

Sure, you're car is rolling backwards because your stationary and all the surrounding traffic is moving forward. Your point of view is messed up. And, the required alcoholic beverages needed to survive the commute from/to Boston/NYC, or live there, will exaggerate the situation. Yankees or Red Sox?


I don't understand. How long does it take you to move your foot off the brake and onto the gas pedal?
Even with a 5000lb trailer, and on a steep hill, I can hit that go-pedal quick enough not to worry about the moron tailgating. The other option is to use the brake assist which is an easy habit to learn.

Also, when moving shifter from park/neutral into drive, you don't release the brake pedal until you feel the shift completes. I am not "pretty sure" that I am in drive. I am definitely sure that I am in drive and that it is engaged.

I also do not know what "appear" is. Either I am on a flat surface, going uphill or going downhill. Appear? really?

Typical US consumer needs to learn how to drive and pay attention to what their vehicle is doing so they don't get caught in the optical illusion world. Pay attention to non-moving objects and not draw your conclusion on moving objects around you, and vice versa. Enjoy your tunnel vision!

 

My Highlander does rolls back a bit when going up hills and wait for red light to turn green here in San Francisco.

 

Yes, I have. It happened to me two days' ago. It happened three times in a row. The 2015 Toyota Rav4 was in drive and I was in stop-and-go traffic (mostly stop). My Rav4 started sliding backwards. I put on the emergency brake and it didn't stop. The only thing that stopped it was turning off the SUV, putting it in Park and putting the brake on. It happened to me three times so it was very scary. I'm taking it into the shop tomorrow.

 

Yes, I have. It happened to me two days' ago. It happened three times in a row. I was on a slight incline and my 2015 Toyota Rav4 was in drive and I was in stop-and-go traffic (mostly stop). My Rav4 started sliding backwards. I put on the emergency brake and it didn't stop. The only thing that stopped it was turning off the SUV, putting it in Park and putting the brake on. It happened to me three times so it was very scary. I'm taking it into the shop tomorrow to see if I can get Hill Assist. I think Toyota should pay for that.

 

The friction plates in the tranny may be worn - have your mechanic check the fluid - if it has brown deposits, you have a wear problem.

John